Blessings From Olympus
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: You can't pick your family. Annabeth knows that well, but she's about to get a huge reminder. Annabeth/Clarisse. Rated for language.
1. Annabeth Returns

_**LbN: This was supposed to be a one-shot. Oops... Guess we have another multi-chap for the PJO fandom...Happy reading!**_

It was pitch dark and silent by the time Annabeth made it to Camp. She yawned and leaned against the wall of the Big House, trying not to pass out. The volleyball court swam in and out of her vision as she held the gash in her side. "Some daughter of Athena I am…" she muttered.

"Hey! Lights out was an hour ago—Annabeth?"

"Clarisse…." Annabeth whispered, before passing out.

* * *

"Well, it's lucky you found her when you did, Clarisse. She'd already lost a lot of blood."

"What do you think happened?" Clarisse asked.

"I don't know," Chiron said. "But this isn't a mortal wound. She was attacked by a monster. Harpies, by the look of it."

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, waking up.

"Annabeth!" Clarisse jumped. She sat down next to the bed. "What happened?"

"Was…walking home from the library. I ran into this girl…I think she was homecoming queen or something."

"Harpy?" Clarisse asked, glancing at Chiron.

"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed. "And she had friends. Lots of friends."

"Why'd you come here? Isn't Jackson's house a lot closer?"

"Didn't want them…near his mom…."

"Gods damn it; you're too noble for your own good…."

Annabeth smiled. "You remember what he was like the last time he lost his mom. No one wants that again…."

"So," Chiron started. "Bleeding profusely, you walked for two and a half hours to get to Camp?"

"No. I only had a few scratches when I started out. And I had a car. They flipped me over right before I made it to the woods. One of them picked me up and tossed me into some bushes. That's how I got this." She nodded to the bandages wrapped around her stomach.

"So what you're saying is you only walked half an hour while bleeding profusely," Clarisse said.

"We'll get some ambrosia into you. You'll be good as new in a few hours," Chiron said.

The two girls watched him squeeze himself out of the Athena cabin. Annabeth tried to sit up, but Clarisse put a hand on her shoulder. "Why do I get the feeling you withheld a bit of information just then?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Annabeth said, looking pointedly at the windows. Her brothers and sisters were still peeking in at them.

Clarisse opened the door. "Yo!" she barked. "She's fine. Get back to work."

"That's our sister in there!" one of the boys yelled back.

"Shit happens. She'll be fine in an hour or two. Now beat it!" Once she was sure that they were all sufficiently frightened and would stay away, she went back inside. "What didn't you tell Chiron?" she asked.

"This is the fourth time this month," Annabeth said quietly. "One of the gods is seriously pissed at me. I don't know why."

"Why didn't you tell Chiron?"

"Because…" Annabeth stopped for a moment. "It was my decision to leave Camp and go to college. I don't want him thinking I'm….This was an emergency. I can take care of myself."

"Really?"

Annabeth glared at her, then sighed. "I guess not."

"You can't run away from your mother, Annabeth," Clarisse said quietly.

"I'm not trying to. I just thought that maybe I could be normal for a couple of years."

"Normal's overrated," Clarisse said, smiling. She gently uncovered Annabeth's wound. It was almost completely healed. "You feeling up to a walk to the Hermes cabin?"

"I guess." She let Clarisse help her up. "Why?"

"See if the sons of Hermes have heard any Olympian rumors lately."

* * *

Connor and Travis Stoll had, in fact, talked to their father the day before.

"He came and gave us the same song and dance about not letting the others get to us…" Connor said, rolling his eyes.

"You two are still the only ones he appears to?" Annabeth asked.

"Damn right, and it's pissing our siblings off," Travis said.

"He says it's because he has so many kids. We're his messengers."

"Sons after his own heart, really," Connor said dramatically.

"Did he…mention anything about me?" Annabeth asked.

"Why?" Travis asked. "Does the daughter of Athena have a story for us?" he pulled up two chairs.

Annabeth glanced at Clarisse, who shrugged. They knew better than to even _try _to lie to these two. "A month ago, I got attacked by a harpy. Just out of freaking nowhere. It happened again, and again, and then once more last night. I don't get why, unless someone up top is pissed at me. What?"

Both of the Stoll twins were staring at her, mouths open. "We didn't know she was that mad!"

"What?" Annabeth and Clarisse both said.

"A little over a month ago, our dad invited us up top. When we got there, it was quiet. Like, creepy quiet. Imagine walking into our cabin and it being silent."

"Holy shit," Clarisse said.

"Yeah, exactly," Connor continued. "So we knew something was up. Our dad comes out and tells us that two of the Olympians have had kids, and that Hera is pissed the fuck off, and all of Olympus is basically hiding from her."

"What did I do?" Annabeth yelped.

"Shhh!" Travis said. "This isn't supposed to get out to Campers. Zeus revoked the whole Big Three bullshit, right? So any more demigods who pop up get to know their god parent by their—"

"Thirteenth birthday, we know," Clarisse said impatiently. "Can we get to the part that explains why Annabeth was almost killed?"

The twins shrugged. Connor picked up the story as if there had been no interruption. "Athena and Zeus were the two who had kids. Understandably, Hera was kicking Zeus's ass all over Olympus, but the reason _you're _fucked, is that your mom found out that Hera hadn't claimed all of her children yet. And she told Zeus."

"Uh oh."

"Pretty much."

"But why me? My mom has tons of kids too."

"Mostly because Hera hates the fact that your cabins," Travis ssaid, nodding at them, "are getting along so well, and thus, Ares and Athena are finally getting along. Ares was a bit of a mama's boy for a while during the 80s. I guess Hera got used to it."

"The point is this: unless you can sort this out when you go to Olympus—"

"When I go? Why would I be going?"

"Oh, did we not mention that? Your drama was just the gossip. The reason he wanted us is so we could tell some of the favorites that they're invited to Olympus. You'll have to work things out with Hera, because this trip is kind of important."

"Who all got invitations?"

"We weren't supposed to give them out for another week, but both of you did. So did Jackson, of course. Achilles, from the Hephaestus cabin, and Mark, from the Apollo cabin. They're giving us things to help protect the Camp."

"Blessings from the Olympian gods can't hurt," Clarisse said. "Just the five of us?"

"And us," Travis said. "The rest of the cabins are going some other time. Guess they didn't want a lot of us there at once."

"You said my mom had a kid."

"A son," Connor said, nodding. "Named him Priam. Now, if you two don't mind, we have a battle plan to form before the next tournament."

"Let's leave them to it, Annabeth. Gods know they need it," Clarisse fake-muttered.

"Lose the attitude, Clarisse. You sound like a douchebag," Travis said, smirking.

"Least I don't look like one. Shave the soul patch, you tool."

"I can feel the love at this camp," Annbeth mumbled.

"Are you going to stay?" Clarisse asked, stopping and facing her.

"You want me to?"

"Of course. Driving an hour to see you once a month is a bit…"

"Sucky?"

"Sure, we'll go with that. Besides, it'll be good to have you around again. Extra tournament directors never hurt."

Annabeth laughed and followed Clarisse to the practice pitch.


	2. Going Away

**Blessings from Olympus**

Clarisse knocked on the door frame of the cabin while walking in. "Jackson?" she called quietly.

"What's up?" Percy said, coming out of the bathroom. "Whoa! It's you."

"Yeah."

The two stood in an awkward silence for a moment. Finally, Percy held up his hands. "What do you want?"

Clarisse sighed. She couldn't believe she was doing this. "Look. Travis and Connor already flipped on the drama. Did Annabeth tell you?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think they've got the whole story. There's something going on with Annabeth's little brother. I don't know what yet. Seriously, four attacks in a month?"

"I know. That's…."

"Excessive. Which is why…"

Percy smiled. "You want my help, don't you?"

"Look, fuck you. Took me all day to get down here, so shut up and let me talk."

Percy kept grinning, but shut his mouth.

"We're going to Olympus. You're the only one whose parent actually likes them."

"Bullshit. Ares likes you."

"He tolerates me. Occasionally. The point is, we could have the Stolls do a little more snooping for us…."

"Or I could try to get it out of my dad."

"It would be less suspicious. You're close to Annabeth, and the Stolls aren't really. It would make sense that you're freaked out about it."

"Okay. I'm in."

Clarisse nodded. "Cool."

* * *

Annabeth would be the first to say that demigod dreams were annoying, but there were always exceptions. She didn't recognize the house, but she knew where she was. There was a baby crying. She walked up the stairs.

A bearded man was rocking a baby in the library. "Come now, Priam," he said. He had a strong English accent. "No need to cry."

"He's probably hungry," a woman said.

Annabeth whipped around. "Mom."

Athena took the infant and held him. A bottle appeared in her hand. Annabeth could tell that there was nectar mixed with the milk.

"You said we'd have to go away," the man said. "What did you mean?"

"Exactly that," Athena sighed, still looking fondly at the baby. "It's not safe for you here."

"And it'll be safer close to Olympus, where she can see us."

"We're gods," Athena said, finally looking up at him. "It doesn't matter where you are."

"Then why do we have to move?"

"Because there's more protection in New York. The satyrs will be able to get you to the airport, and Zeus has already promised safe passage through the air. I'm not saying you'll have to live there forever, though NYU is a wonderful place to work."

"It's not Oxford. I've lived here since I was a boy."

"Please. Just…when help arrives, don't be stubborn. It'll be better for you, and for Priam, if you leave."

* * *

Annabeth shot up in bed. It was two in the morning. She scrambled out of bed and pulled her laptop from her bag. In between looking up flights and checking weather, she ran around her room, throwing things into a large duffle.

"Going somewhere?"

"Clarisse!" Annabeth said, jumping. "You scared me." She went over to the window and fully opened it, allowing the daughter of Ares to climb inside.

"England?" Clarisse asked, looking at the computer screen.

"I'm going to get Priam," Annabeth explained.

Clarisse stared at her. "You've lost your mind."

"Well that settles it. You always say that when I have a brilliant plan," Annabeth grinned.

"No, seriously. What are you thinking?"

"I just had a dream. Priam's dad is a professor at Oxford, and he's not going to leave quietly. I know that look. God or no god, he's not going to listen."

"So why do you have to go?"

"I'm the one who had the dream, right?"

"And what if Athena wasn't the one who sent it?"

"She did. She was in the dream."

"Did she look at you?"

Annabeth was silent for a long moment. "No. But that's not out of the ordinary, is it?"

"No. What's out of the ordinary is you being attacked once a week. What if Hera sent you the dream?"

"What if she did?"

"She's trying to kill you, Annabeth!"

"And she's going to try to kill my brother if someone doesn't stop it.

Clarisse crossed her arms. "Fine," she growled. "Your flight isn't until the afternoon, right?"

"You want me to reserve you a ticket?"

Clarisse nodded. "I'm going to pack."

Annabeth moved her bags to her chair and pulled on jeans over her pajamas. Grabbing her hoodie, she climbed out of the window and made her way over to the Poseidon cabin.

* * *

The next day was a mess. Between dodging her siblings and trying to get ready, Annabeth was frazzled. Plus, she couldn't help thinking that Clarisse was right. This could very well be a trap. And then there was the fact that she'd be dealing with a whole new set of monsters if it was. According to one of her brothers, each country had its own brand of mythological monsters to deal with, as well as the Greek ones. She wasn't looking forward to that.

There was a card on her desk. The Olympian crest was embossed in bright gold. She had exactly a week before she had to be back for the trip to Olympus. She tucked the invitation into her backpack, and left the cabin.

"Where are you going?"

"Simon, you don't need to worry. Get back to work."

The boy who'd yelled at Clarisse the day before walked over to her. "Why are you leaving? You just got back."

"I'm just going on a quick trip. I'll be back in a week."

Simon stared at her, obviously skeptical. Finally, he nodded and said, "Wait for a second." He ran back inside and came out a minute later with something in his hand. It was an iPod with a small speaker attached. "Marissa and I reprogrammed it. It's safe for demigods and has the music of Orpheus and Euterpe on it. Just in case."

Annabeth smiled. "Very clever. Thanks Simon."

"Don't mention it. Just try not to get killed."

* * *

"Where's Jackson?" Clarisse asked. "I thought he was coming."

"He is. He's got a bit longer of a trip, so he left earlier."

"Meaning, he's too chicken to fly, so he had to swim for it?"

"Pretty much. Can you blame him?"

"Not really. Now let's get on this plane before anything ambushes us."


	3. Oxford

**Blessings from Olympus**

"You won't be able to see him from up here," Clarisse said, smirking.

Annabeth turned from the window to her. "Not what I was doing."

"You okay?"

"Just trying to figure out what the hell we're going to do when we get there."

"You only planned as far as the flight?" Clarisse grinned as the food cart came by their row.

"Chicken or beef ladies?" the elderly flight attendant asked.

"Vegetarian," both of them answered. Their brothers and sisters had found that the meals without meat had the least amount of gross shit in them.

The lady handed them two trays of unidentifiable sludge and moved on.

Clarisse looked down at her dinner. "Any guesses?"

Annabeth sniffed it. "Veggie lasagna. Please tell me you have ambrosia…" she added in a mutter.

"Not any extra. Just the 'If-Shit-Gets-Real' storage. We're going to have to plug our noses and bear it."

Annabeth took a small bite, and nearly threw up. "We've got enough technology to stay connected to the entire planet 24/7, but they can't make good airline food." She pulled a Butterfinger candy bar out of her backpack and said, "I'll wait until breakfast. There's no way they can screw up cereal…."

"When's Jackson getting in?"

"Same time as us, assuming he doesn't run into any distractions."

* * *

"Distractions" didn't get much bigger than running into your dad.

"Percy? Why are you in the middle of the Atlantic on a school night?"

"I'm out of school, Dad," Percy said, confused.

"By school, I meant Camp. It's a week night. Don't you have demigods to train?"

"Travis and Connor took my trainees."

"Hmm…the Stoll twins. And you'll be on your way to England yes?"

Percy paused, regarding his father suspiciously. "How…?"

"Because you and Annabeth are strikingly similar. And I know that if one of our immortal family members was after your baby brother, you'd be ready to…what's that expression you kids use? Bust some heads…."

Percy smiled and nodded. "But why…"

"Because we gods are not like mortal parents. We're neglectful to half of you, and play favorites with the other half. And we have no qualms about killing each other's children. Which is why you need to be very careful. You don't want Hera against you."

"Dad, Annabeth had lost so much blood it took her an entire day to stop having dizzy spells. Hera is trying to kill my best friend. She's already against me."

Poseidon shook his head. "You're all too bloody noble. Fine then. You need to know that this child is really who Hera is after. But Hera is intelligent, and she knew that Annabeth would find out and try to stop it. That's why Annabeth was in danger. Hera knows better than to let Athena's favorite get in the way of her revenge. Plus, revenge is sweeter when there's…more damage." He floated over to Percy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful, son. You, Annabeth and Clarisse will make a powerful, but volatile team. Watch out for each other. Where do you need to go?"

"Well I'm meeting the girls at Heathrow Airport, and then we're going to Oxford."

"I'll give you a lift, so to speak. There's something else you should know…."

* * *

Annabeth and Clarisse made it through customs with only one minor delay. Apparently the Mist didn't cover weapons…. Annabeth managed to convince the customs agent that they were exchange students in town to do a show for a theater convention. They grabbed their bags and made their way to the pick-up area, where Percy was supposed to be waiting for them. He wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Annabeth grumbled. "He was supposed to get here before us."

"Maybe he is," Clarisse said. "There are a bunch of different entrances in this place. Let's walk around a little."

Annabeth nodded, still feeling like something had gone wrong.

An hour later, they still hadn't found him. Annabeth, no doubt grumpy from lack of sleep and food, sat stewing grumpily. She perked up a bit when Clarisse came back with coffee and pastries. "What now?"

"He can catch up," Clarisse said. She smiled when she saw the look Annabeth was giving her. "I'm not being jealous or anything. It's just…I feel like we can't waste time with this. The sooner we get back to Camp, the better."

"Fine," Annabeth said, nodding. "I think you're probably right."

It only took fifteen minutes for them to find a bus to take them to Oxford. Clarisse visibly flinched when the total of their tickets came up, but she paid and they climbed onto the bus.

"Not the top," Annabeth said with a meaningful look that was lost on Clarisse.

"Why? I've always wanted to ride on the top of a double-decker—or we could sit down here."

They found seats and Annabeth pulled out a map. "If some random monster tips us over, I don't want to be on top," she muttered.

"Oh, okay. I was a little confused, seeing as you normally like being on top," Clarisse said with a grin.

Annabeth glared at her, trying not to smile. "Here's his house."

Clarisse leaned over to look at the map. "So what are we going to do when we get there?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I'll introduce myself as Priam's sister. Tell him we're going to show him around New York and that we're leaving ASAP."

"And you think he'll go for that?"

"I'm sure we'll have to be a little more…persuasive about it."

"Does Jackson know where the house is?"

"Yeah. He has the address. I'm sure he'll find a water way so he can get there fast," Annabeth whispered.

"Hopefully nothing else is going on."

"Clarisse la Rue," Annabeth said. "Are you concerned about him?"

"No!" Clarisse yelped, earning the stares of a few other passengers. "No," she insisted more quietly. "I just don't want to have to explain to Chiron why his favorite student got eaten by something on our little vacation."

Annabeth simply smiled and watched London roll by.

* * *

Clarisse never used the word "adorable". The house was absolutely _adorable_. She caught Annabeth's smitten expression and said, "We're not moving out here."

"I understand why he doesn't want to leave."

"Let's just get the kid and get out of here to somewhere safe."

"The dad's got to come with us too. So behave," she added with a smile.

"I always behave," Clarisse said, grinning back and ringing the bell.

Annabeth took a deep breath as the man from her dream answered the door.

"Who're you then?" he asked. He looked Annabeth straight in the eye, no doubt making the connection between the color of her eyes and the color of his son's. "Are you…more of the protection?"

"Who else is here?" Annabeth asked.

"Two satyrs," the prof said.

Annabeth relaxed and smiled. "Annabeth Chase. I'm here to meet my brother."

**_LbN: Hope you liked it! Send reviews! You'll find out what Poseidon told Percy in the next chapter :)_**


	4. Complications

**Blessings from Olympus**

Clarisse followed Annabeth into the house, smiling. She always found it attractive when her girlfriend used her full name. Bonus points if she added "daughter of Athena" to the end. She nodded at the satyrs and shook their hands when they stood. "Clarisse. This is Annabeth."

"I'm Nigel, and this is Marcus."

"I've seen you somewhere before," Annabeth speculated.

"You follow the princes?"

"You went to Eaton with Prince Harry!"

"Yep. Best mates, us two. He's the son of Hermes, by the way."

"I knew he didn't look like his brother," Clarisse said.

"Can someone please explain what you're all doing here?" the professor asked.

"I'll leave you to it," Clarisse said. She made a circling motion with her finger. "Recon time."

Annabeth nodded. Turning back to the professor, she said, "We're here to take you to New York, and my brother to Camp Half Blood. We need to leave really soon."

As the satyrs and Annabeth argued with Priam's dad, Clarisse slipped back outside. She walked around the house, inspecting it closely for entrances and exits. She stopped when she found the balcony. If a demigod could get up there, a monster definitely could. She took a running start, used the birdbath as a leg up, and jumped. Too easy. "Shit," she grumbled. The place wasn't the most secure or defensible. She opened the nursery door (it wasn't locked or anything!) and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. She walked through the upstairs library. Nothing out of the ordinary there. She was about to call downstairs and tell Annabeth that everything was secure, when the ground started to rumble. "Annabeth!" she called, spinning the sword of Odysseus into being.

"What the hell's going on?" Annabeth yelled up to her.

Clarisse carefully peaked around the corner of upstairs to the bathroom and nursery. Something odd was happening in the bathroom. The sink, toilet and bathtub were all overflowing and the water was swirling into a column. "Jackson! Annabeth, it's cool! You're idiot bestie just came out of the toilet."

"What?" all of the downstairs voices called.

"You know how to make an entrance, Jackson," Clarisse started to tease. Then she saw Percy's face. "What is it?" she asked, going battle tense again.

"We've got to rock and roll. Like now," Percy said, running past her and down the stairs.

Clarisse followed him down the stairs. It was obvious that Annabeth had told the professor of the plan, and that he'd refused. Everyone was glaring at each other….

Percy took out Riptide and pointed it at the professor. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. We've got to move, and quickly. You don't even want to know the monsters that'll be coming after us if we stay."

"How dare you?" the professor asked, eyeing the sword.

"This isn't up for discussion," Clarisse said, taking out her own sword. "You're coming with us if we have to drag you out of here."

"Didn't you hear what my mother said?" Annabeth asked. "Not to argue when help came? Well help's here. So stop arguing."

"Why'd you come out o' the toilet, mate?" Marcus asked, turning to Percy as if he'd just figured out what Clarisse had said. "We've got rivers."

"Yeah, but those are home to some of the monsters I don't want to meet."

"Got it."

"Marcus and I have a car," Nigel said. "We'll escort Professor Torres and the baby. You can take his care and ride behind us."

* * *

Percy ended up riding with the satyrs, since the professor's car was a two-seater. Annabeth drove slowly through the town, still weird-ed out that the steering wheel was on the other side of the car. "Where the hell are they going?" she asked, as the other car pulled over next to one of the many churches in town.

"No idea. Hold on," Clarisse said. "Keep the car running." She jumped out and dodged traffic, running after Torres. He ran inside the church. She finally caught up to him at the altar. "What are you doing?"

"Three weeks ago, I thought this was it. This was all there was to religion or supernatural things, or anything," he said, nodding at the cross. "Jesus, his followers, the Bible. This is one of the churches they shot Harry Potter in, did you know?"

"We don't have time for this," Clarisse said.

"My son is proof that there's more than all of this, and I have to keep him a secret to protect him."

"Your academic mind is in conflict with your parenting mind, I get it. But we're all siding with your parental mind, so let's go. And speaking as someone who's in the same boat as your son, I wouldn't want my mom using me as proof."

Torres glared at her. "I want to stay. You kids think you know anything about being a parent. You show up at my house like you…"

"Shhhhh! Keep your voice down. You're the one who doesn't get it! You have no idea what our world is like. You have no idea what we risked to come help you. So get off your ass and let's go."

"Language," a slimy, hissing voice said.

Clarisse turned slowly. Something was coming out of the crypt. "Get back to the car," she said quietly. "Now!" she pulled him off the altar and shoved him the opposite direction.

Professor Torres seemed frozen for a moment, but then he ran. The monster chased after him, but Clarisse slashed at it, and Torres managed to slip out the side door.

Clarisse circled the monster, not daring to blink. Head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the backside of a lion and the hooves of a deer—this was a Questing Monster. "You've been hunted by hundreds, maybe thousands, of demigods. Why the hell do you want to come after me."

"Well, I have insssssentive to make you my meal."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"A goddesssssss would like ssssomething you carry."

"Well she's not getting it."

"I beg to differ," the monster said, lunging for Clarisse.

**_LbN: Dun dun duuuuuun! Cliff hanger! Send reviews por favor!_**


	5. One Hell of a Detour

**Blessings from Olympus**

Annabeth spotted Professor Torres running toward them. "Where's Clarisse?" she yelled.

Torres reached the cars, shaking so hard that Percy had to help him stand. "There was this thing—"

That was all they needed to hear. "I'll go," Percy said. "Hera's trying to get you killed; you don't need to go running into fights."

* * *

Clarisse wasn't sure if the blood dribbling across the floor was hers or the monsters. Probably a mixture of both. As quietly as possible, she crept toward the door. The monster, blind, was trying to sense her. She could probably make a run for it, so long as she didn't make any…

"Clarisse!"

"Damn it, Jackson!"

The beast lunged toward them, and they dove in opposite directions. That, at least, seemed to confuse it. It stood between them, growling. "I can sssssmell you, demigods. I will kill you."

Clarisse put a finger to her lips as she got up. The monster was still tense, deciding which of them to eat first. Unfortunately, it was blocking the door. She moved slowly, trying to get behind it. She saw Percy mirror her movements and nodded toward the door across the church. They'd have to navigate some stairs, but that was it.

They'd almost reached the stairs when Percy knocked into a baptismal fountain. He darted across the empty foyer, dodging columns as the monster chased after him.

Clarisse sprinted after them, managing to wound the monster on its left side. She slipped in a puddle of blood and went sprawling to the floor. "Ack!" She gripped her sword tightly as the beast advanced upon her.

"I ssshall feasssst on your flessssh today, demigod," it hissed. It lunged, but didn't land. A wave of water swept it into the air, just above Clarisse.

She retrieved her sword from where it had fallen a few feet away and stabbed into the water. She heard the beast shriek and pulled it back out again.

"Once more, just to make sure," Percy called.

"Oh, it's dead," Clarisse said with a smirk. "We should do an offering. Kissing a little ass never hurt. Especially when it's a god's ass you're kissing..."

"Well, set that fucker on fire and let's get out of here. Annabeth's probably killed Torres by now, but just in case, we should get back."

Clarisse chuckled as she took out her lighter. "Percy Jackson, that is the first time I've ever heard you drop the big F."

"Yeah well, I've been hanging out with you too much," Percy said distractedly.

"What are you doing?" she asked, wiping the blood and water from her sword.

"Shit," Percy muttered. "Is there a river around here?"

"Er.. I think I saw one a little ways off. Behind this place—What's wrong with you, Jackson?" she asked, seeing Percy smack himself in the head.

"We've got to get out of here. I'll tell you on the way to the car."

* * *

Annabeth had not, in fact, killed Torres. However she had threatened him within an inch of his life if anything were to happen to Clarisse. This was probably why the blood drained from his face when he saw the other demigod walking toward them, holding her arm.

"I'll drive with him," Percy said, nodding at Torres when he reached them. "Clarisse can fill you in on our newest problem."

Once they were in the car, Annabeth handed Clarisse some ambrosia and wrapped her arm. "What did Percy mean by 'our newest problem'? Did you guys kill whatever was in there?"

"A Questing Monster, and yeah we killed it. But Percy used water from the holy fountain…." She flinched as Annabeth tied her bandage.

"What's that—"

"Remember how he came out of the toilet? Well, toilet, shower and sink actually. He was using the plumbing so he didn't…er…alert any river monsters. The fountain uses water from the river behind the church."

"So he thinks something's going to come after us?"

"Ever heard of Fomori?"

"Yeah, isn't that what the Loch Ness Monster is?"

"Yep. They returned to the lakes and seas and turned from regular sea demons to sea monsters when their king was killed. Since they didn't have souls to feed on, they started eating people. This is all according to Jackson, who heard it from his dad."

"So…we're screwed if we go near a lake."

"Pretty much. Hey Marcus, where are we going?"

"Train station. We need to get you lot to Wales."

"Wales?"

"You'll have less to deal with. Monster-wise at least. We were planning on leaving from Wales anyway. We'll be sure to steer clear of as many lakes as we can."

* * *

The train station wasn't crowded, but it was still hard to figure out where to go. Luckily, the professor seemed to finally understand the urgency of the day, and was reading for them.

They finally made it onto their train and got seated, and just in time. By the time they'd put their bags in the luggage racks and found their seats, the train was starting to move. Annabeth and Clarisse sat across from Torres, the baby and Percy. The satyrs were in the row across the aisle.

Clarisse reached over and took Annabeth's hand. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. You're the one who got into a fight today," Annabeth muttered, smiling.

"I'm fine."

"Where are we going when we get to New York?" Torres asked.

"We're going…home," Annabeth said, nodding to the baby. "And you're going to the apartment they rented for you." She nodded over to Nigel and Marcus.

The professor didn't look happy about it, but he didn't complain either.

They rode in silence for about an hour. Suddenly, an announcement over the intercom ripped them from their thoughts.

_Attention passengers—due to maintenance complications and scheduling conflicts, there will be no stops between here and Glasgow. For those of you with departures at one of these stops, you will be refunded at the station. Thank you for your patience."_

"Glasgow?" Annabeth asked.

"Isn't that in Scotland?" Percy asked. "I thought we were going to Wales."

"So did I," Nigel said. "I'm going to have a look round the train."

"Glasgow's not far from a lake," Annabeth said.

"Loch Lomond," Torres told them. "Is that a problem?"

"A big one."

* * *

"We have to get a hotel," Annabeth said.

"We have to get out of here," Clarisse and Percy said in unison.

"As wonderful as it is to see the two of you finally agreeing on something," Annabeth said, "I'm about to pass out. Jet lag is officially kicking my ass. And I know you're tired too."

"Annabeth's right," Marcus said. "You lot look dead on your feet. Let's get to a hotel. We'll stand guard until you wake up. We'll get the first flight out in the morning. Come on, let's go."


	6. Night Watch

_**LbN: A little back story and an answer in this chapter :).**_

Annabeth yawned and opened her eyes. The clock said 2:00 a.m. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed and pulled on a hoodie. She suppressed a laugh when Clarisse rolled over and nearly fell out of bed. Somehow the daughter of Ares stayed on the bed without waking up. Annabeth smiled and went out to the balcony where Percy was keeping watch. "Hey. You can get some sleep if you want."

"Nah," he said. "Can't. I just woke up a few minutes ago. Let Nigel & Marcus sleep."

"Watching the road?"

"Yeah."

"Want company?"

"Sure."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time. Nothing sinister was moving in the town around them, and they finally began to relax. Percy turned to Annabeth suddenly and asked, "Why did you leave?"

Annabeth quirked an eyebrow at him, confused.

"For college. I thought you were happy at Camp."

Annabeth sighed. "You remember when Clarisse and I got back from Olympus two years ago?"

"Yeah?"

"When I was there, I talked to my mom. She told me I would be a great architect one day. It was the first time either of my parents had given me any indication that I could be…."

"Normal."

"Normal," Annabeth repeated, nodding. "So I went with it. Clarisse said she was okay with it, and you said you understood so… I didn't look back."

"We missed you," Percy said. "My dad told me about Hera's little…um…hissy fit."

"Yeah?"

"She's basically trying to off you just because she knew you'd try to protect Priam."

"Yeah well, hopefully she doesn't get around to smiting either of us."

"She won't. Not with you protecting Priam and us protecting you," Percy said, grinning. "It's like one never ending ring of bodyguards."

Annabeth laughed and looked back out to the road. "I think I'm going to stay this time."

"Really?"

"Well, I keep getting pulled back anyway," she said, smirking.

"Awesome! That means we can throw you a welcome back party when we get back. We'll just have to make sure the Dionysus cabin leaves the Olympian tea at home…." Percy grinned as Annabeth groaned.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Not a chance."

* * *

Clarisse fell out of bed and jerked awake. "Eurgh…jet lag sucks…." She sat up and stretched. She looked out to the balcony and chuckled. "Jackson, you couldn't move her?" She nodded at Annabeth, who was asleep against the wall.

"Didn't want to wake her."

Clarisse picked the daughter of Athena up and carried her back to bed.

"Clarisse?" Annabeth mumbled, waking a bit.

"Go back to sleep," Clarisse said. "I'll wake you when we have to leave." Clarisse kissed her and stayed there for a moment, watching as Annabeth fell back asleep. Once she was sure the younger demigod was sleeping peacefully, she went out to the balcony again. "Is the teach awake?"

"Think so. He had to feed the baby," Percy said.

"Tell him to come out here so you can sleep. How long have you been up?"

"A few hours," Percy answered, yawning. "You really want to be on watch with him?"

"Not particularly, but you need to sleep."

Percy yawned again and said, "See you in the morning then."

"It is the morning," Clarisse told him, grinning.

Percy shook his head and walked back inside.

Clarisse was left alone with the silence. She looked down the street, trying to spot anything unusual. There was nothing out of the ordinary going on, which worried her. When you spend your life fighting monsters, peace and tranquility become scarier than anything else. She watched a few drunken men stumbling down an alley. The door behind her slid open and the professor came out. She snorted when he sat in the chair. Everyone else had taken the floor on watch.

"It's not that I'm trying to be snooty," he said, smiling. "It's just that I'm old, and have trouble getting off the ground."

Clarisse simply nodded and kept watching the road. She had a weird feeling about how quiet the night was. Paranoia, maybe. Still, she stayed battle tense and watched.

"I'm sorry about earlier," the professor said quietly. "How's your arm?"

"It's fine. We heal quickly."

"Good." He was quiet for about three seconds…. "You were right earlier."

"About what?" Clarisse sighed, realizing she probably should've let Jackson stay.

"I didn't understand. I don't know what I was expecting, but…it wasn't this."

Clarisse had spotted something, a man on a horse coming toward them, but he was riding away now—pacing up and down the street. She kept her eyes on him, but asked quietly, "If you're so sorry, why didn't you tell us we were on the wrong train earlier?" She smirked when he gave a startled jump. "Don't act surprised. Had we been in less of a hurry, less panicked, and a little more patient, you wouldn't have gotten away with it. It's our fault as much as yours. We can read English when we try, but it was more convenient to have you do it."

"Er…the others…"

"Everyone knows, but if we discuss it, it'll just piss us off even more." Clarisse looked back out to the rider, hand on her sword hilt. He was making her nervous. "Why'd you do it?"

"My sister lives here. I wanted her to meet Priam."

"No!" Clarisse hissed. "No one needs to meet him! We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Well—"

"Shhh!" she snapped, standing up. The rider was coming closer. Finally, it stopped right in front of them, and Clarisse noticed something she hadn't before.

The rider had no head. Or rather, he did, but it was under his arm instead of on his shoulders….

"Dear lord!" Torres yelped, falling from his seat.

Clarisse yanked him up from the ground and pushed him inside. "Go wake the others up," she said quietly. "Hurry!" She turned back to the rider and watched him. He began to ride away, and she breathed again. Trying to steady her heartbeat, she went inside to talk to the others.

**_LbN: You'll find out more in the next chapter :)... Oh and Annabeth is falling behind in the poll. The question is "Who would win in a fight?" and she's currently losing to Tonks (from the HP series). So if you want to vote, the poll's on my profile!_**


	7. Monsters and Mothers

_**LbN: This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for any story. It's basically two chapters smooshed together. I couldn't separate them though. It didn't feel right, lol. Hope you enjoy it! **_

The storm didn't stop for two days. The group stayed in the hotel, only venturing as far as the lobby for food. Nigel went on a run for groceries, but other than that, no one left. They'd spent the time pondering Clarisse's headless horseman.

"And you're sure he didn't have a head?" Percy asked for the fiftieth time.

"YES DAMN IT!" Clarisse yelped. "Sorry," she said, when the baby started to cry.

Annabeth took her brother from Professor Torres, who stood up to pace. "Alright," she said, walking with the baby around the room. "Rain or no rain, horseman or no horseman, we only have a few more days to get back to New York. We have to get everything settled before we make our other trip."

"Just let me go show him to my sister—" Torres began.

"NO!" everyone but Percy yelled.

"Meaning no disrespect, sir," Marcus said, "but you've lost your bleeding mind."

"Your sister's house is right on Loch Lomond," Clarisse said. "If we go there, we'll basically be serving demigod stew to whatever crazy monster lives in that lake."

"It wouldn't take long," Torres said. "Please, she's the only family I have."

"No she's not," Annabeth growled. "You have your son, my _brother_, and right now you need to put him first!"

"Let's do it," Percy said quietly, looking up from his map. "Let's go to the lake."

The room fell silent. Everyone turned and stared at him.

"Er…Jackson? I know you're not that dense, so I'm assuming you have a plan," Clarisse said.

"All of these waterways are connected, see?" he said, showing them the map. "If we can get into the lake, I can get us out to sea. We can go down through the Celtic Sea and across the Atlantic."

"Here are my problems with that," Clarisse said. "One, you're the only one who can breathe underwater. And two, we'll still have to mess with god knows what in the form of sea monsters."

"As to the former, we're fine," Percy said, pulling a plasic bag out of his rucksack. "Dad gave me these."

"Seaweed bites?" Annabeth asked, reading the label.

"He guessed we'd need a backup plan. You'll be an honorary child of Poseidon for 24 hours."

"What about our stuff?" Annabeth asked.

"The bags will be waterproof as long as they're touching you."

"And we can get across the Atlantic in 24 hours?" Torres asked.

"We can. You can't. This stuff only works with demigods. You'll have to wait until the storm lets up and then fly. I'll meet you at the airport though, or I'll send Grover."

Nigel and Marcus gasped.

"You…you _know _Grover?" Nigel nearly whispered.

"Yeah, he's my best friend."

Annabeth smiled at the star struck satyrs. "If we're really doing this, we should get going."

"Let me call—" Torres started, taking out his phone.

"NO!" everyone yelled.

"Demigods and electronics don't mix," Percy said.

"She has a laptop! And an iPod!" Torres argued, pointing at Annabeth.

"Yeah, but those have been altered so they're safe for us to use. Normal electronics are like tracking signals for the monsters we're supposed to be running from."

"Speaking of," Clarisse said, putting an arm around her waist, "What are we going to do about the horseman?"

"Hope he doesn't follow us," Percy said.

"And I'll keep looking in my book," Annabeth said, picking up her copy of Scottish folklore. Nigel had grabbed it for her on his grocery run. "If it's mentioned anywhere, it'll be in this book."

"Fair enough," Clarisse said. "Let's roll!"

* * *

Percy and Nigel took the two-seater this time. Clarisse and Annabeth were in the back of the larger car, while Torres drove. Annabeth thumbed through her book, trying to scan the pages for something promising. Clarisse held the baby and tried not to drop him.

Annabeth noticed how tense she was and smiled. Scooting closer to her girlfriend, she said, "Relax. You're not going to break him."

"I've never exactly held one of these things before," Clarisse admitted with a smirk.

"You're fine," Annabeth said, kissing Clarisse. She snuggled against the older demigod as much as she could and continued reading.

"Must you two do that?" Torres asked.

"Torres, shut it," Clarisse said tiredly. "If it weren't for you, we'd be back in the states and out of your hair, so quit. Keep your eyes on the road and you won't see us."

"Turn around," Annabeth said suddenly after a few moments.

"Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming you're never comin' round," Clarisse sang. "What's up?"

Annabeth had gone pale. "What you saw, the headless horseman? It's a Dullahan. It predicts death."

"What?"

"It's complicated. Some of these versions say it throws a bucket of blood on the person who's supposed to day, some say he says the person's name, some of them say he just stops in front of them."

"He stopped in front of us," Torres said.

"You said you were watching him for a while?" Annabeth said.

"Yeah. He was just riding back and forth for a while, then he stopped a couple minutes after the teach came out."

"We're almost there," Torres said. "We can stop and while Margaret has Priam, you lot can figure out a plan."

Annabeth didn't like it. It felt like they were walking into a trap. She kissed Clarisse again and rested her head on her shoulder. "I don't have a better plan, do you?" she asked.

"Nope."

* * *

Margaret was the archetype of a fussy old maid. She managed to hold Priam, fuss over him, make tea, serve crumpets with toast, and carry conversations with the entire group all at once. She looked absolutely heartbroken when they said they couldn't stay.

"You're taking this precious little lamb away from me already?" she asked. "But you must stay the night!"

"No, Margaret, I'm afraid we can't. We're just going to have a walk around the lake, and then we'll be off."

"Please yourselves," she said, smiling. "Take your crumpets with you. I think the rain's let up now."

She didn't accompany them, citing too much familiarity with the lake. This was lucky, because none of them knew how to get rid of her if she had. The two satyrs and the professor were going to watch them into the water, and then go back for the cars.

Annabeth kneeled on the ground, crumbling the seaweed into the baby's bottle. "Here's hoping he drinks it," she said. Marcus had fashioned her a sling to put the baby in while they traveled, so he was snuggled into her at the moment. He took the bottle happily, and Annabeth let out a relieved sigh.

"We ready?" Percy asked.

There were nods of agreement amongst the demigods. They waited on the shore until Priam had finished his bottle.

"Alright. I'll go first."

As soon as Percy's feet touched the water, they all knew something was wrong. Not wrong with the seaweed—_that_ would probably work if they could get to the water. However, as Percy backed away from the lake, they knew getting to the water would be a challenge.

"I suppose killing it before we take a swim doesn't sound like a bad idea," Clarisse said.

Something was coming out of the water. A huge, scaly, slimy something that had webbed feet, sharp teeth and a look of pure evil on its face. "Demigods," it cackled. "I haven't had a demigod for tea in so long. I shall start with you, son of Poseidon."

Its long neck extended lightning fast, but all of them dodged. It seemed to be part octopus, because its legs came around and made a grab at them.

The chaos that ensued couldn't quite be described. Annabeth couldn't fight, because she had Priam, but the satyrs, and even Professor Torres were launching an attack. Through the tentacles and flailing limbs and stabbing weapons, Annabeth could tell that something drastic had to happen for them to have a chance. From a good length away, Annabeth gently laid Priam down and rummaged through her backpack. She pulled out the iPod and turned it on. The two playlists came up and she picked "Orpheus's Jams."

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, looking at the song list. Still, she connected the speaker, turned it up to full blast, and hit play.

_**I never thought that I could walk through fire. I never thought that I could take the burn. I never had the strength to take it higher. Until I reached the point of no return. **_

The monster's head started to nod sleepily.

Clarisse, still battle tense, risked a whisper to Percy. "Is she playing Justin fucking Bieber?"

Percy looked over, listened, and nodded. "Yeah."

_**And there's just no turning back when your heart's under attack. Gonna give everything I have—it's my destiny. I will never say never! I will fight—I will fight 'til forever to make it right. Whenever you knock me down, I will not stay on the ground. Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up. Pick it up, up, up—and never say never.**_

The monster was slumped, dozing on the ground.

"Really?" Clarisse squeaked.

"If he can make millions of girls fall in love with him, he can for damn sure can make a sea monster fall asleep," Annabeth said, putting the iPod back in her bag.

Percy was about to kill the beast when it snorted awake. He froze as one ocean blue eye found his. Then he moved.

The monster, pissed at the interruption, charged for them again.

Professor Torres started running. He jumped, and the monster caught him in its mouth. He let out a scream of agony, but managed to yell, "Kill it!"

Clarisse and Percy each dodged its tentacles and stabbed it on either side. It gave a groan and slumped to the beach, dead this time. Torres fell out of its jaws as it made contact with the ground, but it was too late. He was dead. The Dullahan had been right.

* * *

Percy did some fast acting water erosion so they could bury the professor. They felt it was the least they could do, since he'd died for them.

Annabeth wasn't there though. She'd seen something out of the corner of her eye and gone into the trees after it. Unsheathing her knives, she jumped around the tree.

It was Athena.

"Mom," Annabeth said, panting. "What…?"

"I was watching the funeral. You all did a wonderful job."

Maybe it was the jet lag. Maybe it was the fact that she'd technically just been through a battle. Maybe it was something in the way her mom said that. Whatever it was, Annabeth lost it. "A wonderful job? I was almost killed and that's all you have to say?"

"Well it's not like you haven't been through it before," Athena said, confused at her daughter's outburst.

"I was almost killed, your baby daddy died. And you just congratulate us on the burial…."

"I couldn't interfere in your fight, Annabeth," Athena said sternly. "You know that."

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't matter that that was the father of your son. It doesn't matter that I'm your daughter. We're all just expendable mortals to the gods, right?"

"Annabeth…"

"I get that you can't spend time with me, because it would make you less god-like to have a normal family," Annabeth said through tears. "But you can't expect me to just be okay with everything I go through, just because I'm related to you. I'm **_human_**, Mom," she said. It was almost a whisper.

Athena put her hands on Annabeth's shoulders. "Annabeth. I am always with you." Then she did something absolutely unheard of. She hugged her daughter.

Annabeth fainted.

**_LbN: Hope you liked it! Send reviews please! Especially if you add it to favorites ;). Clarisse and Annabeth are tied in the poll right now, but Tonks (from the Harry Potter fandom) is beating them both. It's on my profile if you want to vote! :) _**

**_Songs:_**

**_Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler (sung by Clarisse)_**

**_Never Say Never by Justin Bieber.  
_**


	8. Blessings and Destinies

**Blessings from Olympus**

"Should we feed her some ambrosia?"

"She's passed out, dumbass! She can't chew!"

"I don't get it, it was just a hug."

"Have you ever gotten a hug from Poseidon?"

"Nope. I'm assuming Ares isn't the touchy-feely type either?"

Clarisse actually laughed at the idea. "Well, we've got to bring her around soon. It's already been an hour."

"I'm back," Marcus said. He'd been manipulating the Mist so that no one disturbed Professor Torres's grave. "She should wake up in a few."

"Why'd she faint?" Percy asked.

"Have you ever—"

"No," both he and Clarisse said.

"Well have you ever had physical contact with them at all? Handshakes? High fives?"

Both demigods shook their heads.

"It's like you've died and gone straight to Olympus," the satyr explained. "That's why there are so many of you. Demigods," he added with a smile. "Mortals can't resist the charm, and they _**really **_can't resist the—"

"Alright! We get it!" Clarisse said.

"Anyway," Marcus continued. "I'm sure Annabeth was a little overwhelmed."

"Putting it lightly, I think," Nigel said. He'd just appeared with Priam.

Annabeth started to stir. "Eurgh…."

"Finally!" Percy said.

"Now I think ambrosia would be a good idea," Clarisse told him. "We've really got to get moving."

* * *

The trip back was surprisingly uneventful. With Annabeth's iPod on full blast, most of the monsters just lurked in the shadows as they passed. She was a little concerned about being in the sea again, seeing as she'd promised Poseidon not to come anywhere near it, but Percy assured her that he'd gotten permission for all of them.

By the time they reached Camp again, they were all tired and cranky—especially Priam. This was why Annabeth nearly cried when Chiron met them at the gate, asking to speak with her. "What's up?" she asked when she got to the Big House.

"We wanted to congratulate you on not getting torn to shreds," Mr. D said. "You even made it back with the brat. Good on you."

"Yes, we're really quite proud of you taking the initiative on this," Chiron said, paraphrasing freely.

"Thanks," Annabeth said, knowing something else was coming. "So which of the nymphs should I drop him off with?"

"Come again?" Chiron said.

"When babies come to Camp, the nymphs look after them. Which one has Priam?"

Chiron and Mr. D. exchanged glances. "Well…"

"No way," Annabeth said. "You're not about to tell me that I have to look after him, are you?"

"It was…prophesized that the strongest of the children would be made protectorate of the weakest."

"How do you know that's me?"

Again, Chiron looked to Mr. D. for help, and again he found himself under the Truth-Telling bus…. "Well, you, Clarisse and Percy ran off before we could fully explain the invitation the Stolls gave you. You see, now that we have so many new demigods coming to Camp, the gods thought it might be…er…prudent to set up a clear hierarchy. Their blessings will make you the head of your house, responsible for training and teaching your siblings."

"What if we don't want it?" Annabeth asked.

"You were chosen for a reason, Annabeth," Chiron said tiredly. "You have a connection to this Camp, deeper than any of your siblings. As for your duties with your brother, the nymphs will help you take care of him, but he is your responsibility."

Annabeth stood in stunned silence for a moment. Then she nodded. "Where's he going to sleep? He'll have the whole cabin up?"

"The group of you that will be receiving blessings are having a cabin of your own built. He'll have a nursery until he is old enough. Then he'll move into the Athena Cabin."

Annabeth couldn't say anything. What good was it to argue? Her life had been decided for her. She nodded and walked outside. "Clarisse?" she said. Her girlfriend was currently entertaining her brother by making strange faces. "We need to talk."

* * *

The throne room was empty, save for Zeus. He smiled down at them, which wasn't all that comforting considering he was still about two miles tall. "Welcome, demigods."

They all bowed and stayed silent.

"You know why you're here?"

"Yes, Zeus," they chorused. After Chiron had explained the situation to Annabeth, there had been a meeting. Unsurprisingly, her reaction had not been far from the norm. They all resigned themselves to it rather quickly though, once they knew they got their own cabin….

"Your blessings are these," he said waving his hand.

In front of each of the demigods appeared a cube. Inside were a set of keys and a necklace. It wasn't the same kind as the Camp's though. Instead of beads, there was a single pendant with the Olympian crest engraved on it.

"Put them on," Zeus instructed.

They did as they were told, and suddenly, Annabeth felt power radiating through her. She felt as if the world's secrets were at her fingertips, waiting to be uncovered. She felt strong, beautiful, worthy of her mother's love. She felt—

"Before you all get too drunk with power," Zeus interrupted all of their thoughts, "Please know that you are still mortal, and we could still literally crush you with a sneeze. The necklaces set you above your siblings, but should you abuse them…." He paused, letting their minds fill up with all too imaginable horrors. "The keys are from Apollo. He thought the whole necklace thing was a bit melodramatic, and wanted to give you something practical. I believe he has your cars on the garage column when you're ready to leave. Now, you may all go speak with your parents. Oh, and Annabeth? My wife would like a word with you."

Annabeth froze and looked down the hall Zeus had indicated. Hera, at least, had shrunk to normal size for their arrival….

"Hera," she said with a bow. She maintained what she hoped was a respectful, but safe, distance. Fat chance…

Hera took Annabeth's necklace in her hand and pulled her closer. "I hope you treasure every drop of power running through you now, Annabeth. If it hadn't been for some…convincing arguments on the part of my husband, you wouldn't have this necklace now." She let go and beckoned for Annabeth to follow her into her sitting room. "You notice, of course, that none of my favorites were invited to this…party. As the goddess of marriage, I don't go around sleeping with mortals, but out of my nieces and nephews, I do have my favorites. And none of them were invited today."

Annabeth had noticed.

"Your mother and Ares saw to that," the goddess continued, replacing her crown with an elegant clip, and adjusted the band on her arm. "I cannot pretend that my husband's jealousy wasn't a factor, but he did need that extra push. No matter, though. The son of Demeter will come in the next group." She sat on a large sofa and stared for a moment at Annabeth. "And beautiful Eliza, Aphrodite's daughter, and all of the rest of them. I'm telling you this so you'll know that you are not special." She paused for a moment to let those words sink in. Tossing her red hair, she continued. "Do not think being your mother's favorite means anything but…aggravation for you. Everything we do, we do out of convenience. Your mother sent you dreams, because she knew I'd try to kill the boy. Don't give me that look, it was just business. She didn't pick you because you were the best, or the strongest, or the oldest. She picked you because she knew you'd get the job done. You're her favorite because you're so bloody dependable. Now, I've decided to…go easy on you. Living the life of a Blessed One will be enough entertainment for me, and enough punishment for you. Understand though, that if you cause me even the slightest offense, that reprieve will end. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Annabeth whispered.

"Good. Then you may leave."

Annabeth bowed and left the room. She tried to collect herself before she got to her mother's room, but apparently she was unsuccessful.

"Goodness," Athena said. "Hera really let you have it, didn't she?" She took Annabeth's hand in hers and lead her over to the sofa. "I am sorry. Had it been any other immortal, I would not have allowed it. She is the queen, though." Athena poured two drinks into tea cups. "It's coco, don't worry."

"I'm never going to live that down," Annabeth muttered.

"I'm afraid not," her mother said, smiling. "How is your brother?"

"Fine."

"You should know," Athena said, "I've instructed Chiron to have the nymphs take care of him primarily. I do want you to have some semblance of normalcy in your life. You and Clarisse aren't ready to be parents," she added with a smile.

"Why me?" Annabeth asked, unable to stop herself any longer.

"You know I'll never be able to convince you that what Hera said is untrue."

"But you can convince me that there's more to it."

"You're definitely mine…" Athena said. "Yes, there is more to it. As much as Hera goes on about us doing things out of convenience, we do have emotions. Wars have been started on them. We do love our children, even though we play favorites. Your group was chosen because you are the successful, reliable, stubborn demigods. I chose you because your reasoning abilities put most of my other children to shame. You're also very connected to Camp and the others. I know I can rely on you, Annabeth—and that's a lot, coming from a god."

Annabeth nodded. It definitely was.


	9. Lessons and Prophecies

**Blessings from Olympus**

"Easy… EASY!" Apollo yelled as the car lurched and stopped…lurched…and stopped.

"Sorry!" Annabeth said, as the car shot another mile forward.

"That's…okay," Apollo said. He was gripping the armrest so hard that it would've crumbled had it not been forged by Hephaestus…. "Just try it again. Don't press so hard on the gas."

Annabeth looked in her rearview mirror. Clarisse, Connor and Percy looked quite green in the backseat. She took a deep breath and pressed lightly on the gas. The car didn't shoot so far forward this time.

"Good!" Apollo said. "Keep going. Just around the camp; that's it."

Annabeth made it around the camp without hitting anything or making anyone sick. She considered this a great success, even though Apollo was taking long swigs out of his flask.

None of the other demigods did much better, except for Clarisse. She was completely comfortable with the car, but that was because she'd been taking them out after everyone had gone to bed. Apollo let her drive back to camp.

"Do you want me to get the others?" Connor asked.

"No…" Apollo said. "I think that's all I can stand for one day. Right, I'll be back in a couple of days. See you lot then."

The group walked into Camp Half Blood just as the dinner bell was ringing. They sat together now, along with the other "Blessed Ones" as the campers were beginning to call them.

Annabeth got three slices of pizza and some salad. She tossed two of the slices into the fire- one for her mother and one for Hera.

"I still don't understand why you do that," Clarisse said, scraping a few meatballs into the flames. "If she's going to smite you, a slice of supreme isn't going to help."

Annabeth shrugged. "Can't hurt."

* * *

Flowers swirled at Annabeth's feet. The foliage was always more lively around this part of the camp. "Chloe?" she called softly. She smiled at the nymph who came striding out of the trees. "Where is Priam?"

"Seren is giving him a bath. He…er…got into some mud."

Annabeth laughed and followed her to a small pool. One of the other nymphs was holding Priam, drying him off.

"Go see big sister," Seren said, handing the baby to Annabeth.

"How has he been?" Annabeth asked.

"Wonderful. He barely even cries."

Annabeth sat against a tree, rocking Priam.

"Starting to be okay with this?" Clarisse asked. She walked over from the tree she'd been standing behind.

"You're such a creeper," Annabeth said with a smirk. "And yes."

"Worked up the nerve to ask Chiron about the rest of the prophecy?"

"I asked him this morning, after breakfast. Priam's going to be the next Percy, in a nutshell."

"He's going to save the world?"

"He'll be crucial to the saving of the world," Annabeth said. "That was how Chiron worded it. I'm his protector."

"You don't have to," Clarisse said softly. "If…you know…if this isn't what you want." It was apparent that the daughter of Ares was forcing the words out. "You could go back to school. Leave Camp."

Annabeth smiled at her, and then down at Priam. "No," she said. "I can't."

Clarisse grinned at her. "Come on," she said. "Give him back to Seren."

"Where are we going?" Annabeth asked.

"Connor gave me the keys to the Ferrari," Clarisse said. "Let's go to a movie or something."

With a smirk, Annabeth let Seren take Priam from her. "Thanks, Seren." Taking Clarisse's hand, she said, "Alright. But I get to pick this time."

_**Fin**_


End file.
